The federal government has started turning marijuana's partial move to Schedule III into actual paperwork, and New York isn't in the first group. The Justice Department announced on Oct. 30 that DEA has issued registrations to more than 900 state-licensed medical dispensaries in seven states: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
The department did not explain why those states came first or say when New York's turn might come. What we can now see is how many New York locations are waiting.
New York's place in line
DEA published a list of timely applicants, dated Oct. 30, that its registration page says will be updated daily. High Today counted the entries. Nationally there are 6,983. New York has 73:
- 40 dispensaries
- 10 distributors
- 23 manufacturers
For comparison, New Jersey has 60, Connecticut 50, Massachusetts 109 and Pennsylvania 227.
The list shows only a state, a business type and a control number. It does not name companies, so we can't say whether the entries belong to the operators of the state's medical program, called registered organizations, or to others. State license data updated Oct. 30 shows 29 active records for registered organization locations, a different kind of count.
What applicants can do in the meantime
DEA's Oct. 30 guidance answers the question New York's waiting applicants care about most. A business that submitted a complete application and fee between April 28 and June 26 can keep dispensing, manufacturing or distributing under its state medical license while DEA reviews the application.
There is a catch, and it has a date. These applicants may trade only with other timely applicants and DEA registrants. Dealing with anyone else "could be potential grounds for denial" of an application. DEA says applicants are expected to finish checking partners and "establish compliant supply chains" by Nov. 29, 2026.
The minimum due diligence DEA lists includes:
- Getting a copy of a partner's DEA confirmation or certificate
- Verifying its document control number on DEA's website
- Confirming its state license is active
- Keeping records of all of it
Two carve-outs should ease the transition. Dispensers and distributors can keep selling inventory they acquired before the guidance, even if it came from a business that doesn't qualify. And DEA says it does not intend to penalize small test samples sent to a non-registered lab in the same state, in limited circumstances, if detailed records are kept. The guidance also says it does not have the force of law.
What registration does and doesn't mean
The Justice Department stressed that a state license alone does not bring federal registration. Dispensaries must clear a pre-registration investigation and follow federal rules on security, recordkeeping and inventory. Manufacturer and distributor applications are still under review, pending inspections, production controls and quota decisions.
Nor does any of this reach adult-use stores. The department says the order does not authorize recreational marijuana, and that marijuana outside its scope remains in Schedule I. As we've explained, that gap covers most of what New Yorkers buy. A separate DEA proceeding on broader rescheduling continues, and the court challenge to the April order is still pending.
What it means for New York
For medical patients, we found no announcement that access will change. New York's expanded possession limits and out-of-state patient rules are state law and were not part of this federal action. Keep buying from licensed dispensaries.
For operators, the date to watch is Nov. 29. Any medical business trading with a partner that missed the June 26 cutoff has a month to sort that out. We found no Office of Cannabis Management guidance on this as of Oct. 31. For adults 21+.